Stable vs. understable and overstable

November 2nd, 2008, 06:56 PM

One thing I am trying to figure out is if you can shoot a hyzer and anhyzer with a stable disc with just changing up where the nose points, then why would one want to buy an understable or overstable disc?

One thing I am trying to figure out is if you can shoot a hyzer and anhyzer with a stable disc with just changing up where the nose points, then why would one want to buy an understable or overstable disc?

Good question. I think (for me, personally) it's because I like to throw as flat as possible. If I can do this over and over and change the results by simply putting a different disc in my hand, that may make my results more repeatable.

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It was a real eye opener for me the last couple times I have played as I am begining to figure out how to throw straight and now, I am figuring out how to aim, which is cool. Also, it has been cool to very the nose of the desk to get around trees.

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Good question. I think (for me, personally) it's because I like to throw as flat as possible. If I can do this over and over and change the results by simply putting a different disc in my hand, that may make my results more repeatable.

My thoughts exactly. "Flat" is a lot easier to replicate than "10° hyzer" or "5° anhyzer."

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Keep in mind also that no matter how much you rotate an overstable disc, it's still going to fight to come back to the left at the end of its flight -- whereas an understable disc can keep cruising gently to the right. There are some flight paths you just can't get with some discs.

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The word, "stable," can definitely give people the wrong idea. I almost wish another word had been chosen initially, but I don't know what word that would have been, exactly. It's just wierd to speak of something being "more" stable and mean a tendency to fade harder and sooner. "Stable" is the word we have now, so if we try to get a grip on what "understable" means, then we may grasp the differences.

As I was able to get more on my drives, I moved from less stable to more stable. After my pectoral injury cost me driving power, I moved back the other way, to less stable.

To complicate this for nearly everyone trying to learn, while dealing with subtle differences in disc aerodynamics, we are dealing with any number of subtle form irregularities from one shot to the next. Unless we get our form regular for a given disc, throwing with a uniform force, tilt, and attitude for a given slope or windage, the shots are going to do almost mystically different things. Thankfully, once in a while we get to see a pro sky one, or drive it into the ground, and realize, this aint as easy as it looks.

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As Adam said, it has to do a lot with flight paths. If every hole was wide open, I could get by just fine with one driver. Different discs allow you to make different lines.

Let's say the hole is 300 feet, but the disc will also need to travel 50 feet to the left. If you're right handed, throwing backhand, you have a few options, depending on what the obstacles allow.

-You can throw something overstable on an anhyzer line. It starts by turning away from the basket, then it fights hard to get back.

-You can throw something stable on a straight line, a few degrees to the right. It goes straight most of the way, then fades toward the basket.

-You can throw something understable on a hyzer line. This could start off quite a bit to the right of the basket, turning left, then come out of the hyzer and go straight at the basket for most of its flight.

These are just 3 of the more common examples. There are, of course, many more. When you are playing a course with trees or other obstacles, you often can't take a straight path to the basket. You need to be able to make discs fly in different ways. To me, this is one of the most interesting parts of the game, compared to ball golf (which I also play, on occasion). You can't make a ball change direction twice in flight. I find that extremely satisfying.